Unassisted Births

The Pros and Cons of This New Birthing Trend

By Kelly Burgess

(Bergin & Garvey, 1994). She says that since then, although birthing rooms have been made homier and other aesthetic improvements have been made to the birthing atmosphere, women still have few choices once they either go to a hospital or allow a midwife to become part of their birthing experience.

"A lot of the reason women feel compelled to have medical births is because of the false perception that newborns are inherently weak," Shanley says. "In fact, many of the problems we see associated with newborns are a result of the stresses of a medical birth, including drugs and the negative effects of the lack of control a woman has over the experience. Your body produces hormones that are beneficial to the birthing process, but these hormones can be suppressed by a stressful birth experience."

Beyond theories about hormones and the effect of stress on labor, many women make the choice to give birth without professional assistance for financial or other medical reasons.

Jennifer Block, author of Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care (Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2007), first points out that the number of women giving birth unassisted is miniscule, but says many of those who do so, choose that route because the system is not giving them a legal or affordable alternative. She gives as examples women who don't have insurance and can't afford even a midwife at home, much less the full hospital experience, as well as women who want a vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC), but find their local medical establishments forbid even the attempt. These women may be taking chances, but they have few other choices.

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